Master lock for scraper blade scarifier teeth



M. c. DAVIS ETAL MASTER LOOK FOR SCRAPER BLADE SCARIFIER TEETH Aug. 13, 1957 Filed Feb. 10, 1956 IN VEN TORJ Monk/s C. DAV/5 T R PEZRYM Ml BY ROY Gmwvou q ii HWEW United States Patent MASTER LOCK FOR SCRAPER BLADE SCARIFIER TEETH Morris C. Davis, Norwalk, Butler Perryman, Santa Ana, and Roy C. Gannon, El Monte, Calif.

Application February 10,, 1956, Serial No. 564,669

Claims. (Cl. 262-8) This invention relates to earthworking equipment and in particular to a locking device for securing scarifier teeth to their main support bar in an earth working device.

In combination earth scrapers and scarifiers of the type shown in Patent No. 2,578,131, issued December 11, 1951, to Roy C. Gannon, there is disclosed means for securing scarifier teeth to their supporting scarifier bar, including a keeper rod which is designed to lock all the scarifier teeth in secure engagement with the scarifier bar. There is disclosed, in the above patent, such a keeper rod arrangement which is satisfactory in those instances where it is desired to change all the teeth of the scarifier at one time, because then it is necessary only to remove the entire keeper rod by sliding it longitudinally along the scarifier bar. In those instances, however, where it is desired to remove individual teeth, the apparatus and procedure described in Patent No. 2,578,131 are somewhat less than ideal for the reason that all the teeth are loosened throughout the length of the scarifier bar and some individual effort is required in replacing the keeper rod since in order for the keeper rod to pass the location of each tooth in inserting it, it is necessary that each tooth be handled individually as the rod is inserted. Applicant, in the present invention, proposes to eliminate the problem thus raised by the use of a locking device which does not have to be removed and inserted each time a single tooth has to be changed. On the contrary, with applicants device it is necessary only to rotate his locking device in situ to either lock or unlock the scarifier teeth.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved scarifier tooth lock.

It is another object of this invention to provide means for securely locking and conveniently unlocking scarifier teeth from the scarifier bar in earth moving equipment.

Other objects of invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevational view of this invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device of this invention,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken at 33 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view of the locking device of this invention in the locked position, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view at 55 in Fig. 2, showing the unlocked position.

Referring now to the drawings there is shown a scarifier tooth 1 and a scarifier bar 2 in operating position. As in Patent No. 2,578,131, to which this invention is closely related, the forces which are applied to the tooth by the earth being scarified, are taken out by reactions on the scarifier bar. Tooth 1 is secured to bar 2 by a slot 3 cut through bar 2. A notch 4 is out near the end of tooth 1 to fit the thickness of the wall of bar 2 which is a hollow rectangular steel tube. Scarifier bar 2 has cut in it a slot 7 to accommodate lever 6 which is attached to key 11. One or more levers 6 may be provided along the length of bar 2 as necessary to impart "ice proper torque, to key 11. Adjacent slot 7 in bar 2 is located a lug 8 firmly attached to bar 2. Lug 8, as shown in Fig. 4, has a hole 9-cut in it to match hole 10 in lever 6. Lever 6 is securely attached to key 11 errtending throughout the length of bar 2. It should be noted that slots 3 are cut sufficiently long to accommodate the entire width of tooth 1 so that the tooth may be inserted in the slots until notch 4 is opposite the wall of tube 2 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. It will be noted from Figs. 3 and 4 that bar 2 is slotted at each location of lever 6 sufliciently to permit approximately degrees of angular motion of lever 6. Situated at each end of bar 2 are leaf springs 5 having joggles 14. Leaf springs 5 are secured to the inside of bar 2 by bolt 15 and are designed to force key 11 against the upper inside wall of bar 2 as shown in Fig. 4.

In operation, the device is normally in a position such as shown in Fig. 3 with a pin 12 inserted through holes 9 and 10 to lock key 11 so that it bears against the upper wall of bar 2 and against tooth 1, forcing the tooth securely against the scarifier bar in the vicinity of notch 4. In this position the lower surface of key 11 rests in joggle 14 of leaf spring 5. The tooth is thus securely locked in place and torque resulting from application of force of the earth to the tip of the tooth is taken out successfully in torsion by scarifier bar 2. When it is desired to change any tooth it is necessary only to remove pin 12 and rotate lever 6 clockwise 90 degrees until the flat side of key 11 is parallel to the back side of tooth 1. This position of the device is shown in Fig. 4, with leaf spring 5 retaining key 11 flat against the upper inside wall of bar 2. In this position it is relatively easy to remove tooth 1 or any or all of the scarifier teeth, and replace them. One or more of such key devices as disclosed herein may be utilized on a single scarifier bar as necessary or convenient. Likewise more than two leaf springs may be used throughout the length of key 11 to assure that key 11 will not interfere with the removal of the teeth.

After the tooth has been replaced, lever 6 is rotated counter-clockwise until holes 9 and 10 register and pin 12 is replaced.

Rod 13 of diameter roughly equal to the inside dimension to the edge of the lower slot in scarifier bar 2 is secured to the inside corner of the scarifier bar as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, to provide additional bearing capabilities for the scarifier bar against the predominately clock wise torque loading and bearing loads imposed by tooth 1.

It will be noted that while the device shown in Patent No. 2,578,131, for securing scarifier teeth to a scarifier bar requires individual attention to each tooth to align it to receive the keeper bar as it is inserted longitudinally of the scarifier bar, in the deviceof this invention, if the teeth are in place but if each tooth is not entirely and completely in contact with the scarifier bar in the vicinity of notch 4, rotation of lever 6 will force such contact.

If the same situation occurs with the device shown in Patent No. 2,578,131, the keeper bar simply cannot be inserted, making it necessary to apply force to one or more of the teeth to achieve a perfect alignment, such as is necessary to insert the keeper bar.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, the same is to be understood to be by way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope of the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Means for holding and locking in position a plurality of scarifier teeth, each said tooth having a notch cut in it near its upper end comprising a rectangular hollow tubular member having cut in it a first slot of length substantially equal to the width of said tooth and of width equal to the thickness of said tooth and a second slot of length substantially greater than the width of said tooth and of width substantially equal to the thickness of said tooth, saidslotsbeing cut in opposingwalls of said rectangular tube and rectangular key means situated near said longer slot and bearing against the inside wall of said rectangular tubular member and said tooth to force said tooth in contact with said tubular member at the location of said notch.

2. A device as recited in clairnl and further comprising lever means for rotating said rectangular key memher.

3. A device as recited in claim 1 and further comprising lever means for rotating said key member and means for securing said lever member in a position such that the widest dimension of said rectangular key member is parallel to the face of said tubular member having said slots cut in it.

4. A device as recited in claim 3 wherein said key member is of such dimensions, in cross section, that the difference between its major dimension and minor dimension is greater than the depth of the notch in said tooth.

5. A device as recited in claim 1 and further comprising a pair of leaf springs on the inside of said tubular member urging said key member away from contact with said tooth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 854,196 Brown May 21, 1907 2,515,610 Morehouse July 18, 1950 2,578,121 Gannon Dec. 11, 1951 

